Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.

NASCAR meets Funniest Home Videos: Fire company seeking entries in July soapbox derby

SHARON —  The Sharon Fire Department is sponsoring a “No Guts, No Gloryâ€� adult soapbox derby on Saturday, July 25. Though the event is more than four months away, the organizers advise participants to start building their derby cars now.

In a press release, fire department member Eugene Aakjar calls the event a cross between the excitement of NASCAR and the hilarity of television’s Funniest Home Videos.

“Entries are strictly do-it-yourself and held to a workman-like standard, to make sure you don’t end in a storm of splinters and car parts,� Aakjar wrote in the release. “It’s a test of engineering ability, racing prowess and sheer determination.�

The entries for the race will be divided into two categories: The art category for “pretty ones� and the speed category for the cars that compete for bragging rights.

“That’s not saying an ‘art’ car can’t be fast or a ‘speed’ car can’t be pretty,� Aakjar wrote. “It’s entirely up to you and the limits of your imagination.�

According to the rules, however, there are some limitations. It can’t cost more than $300 to build a car (so don’t expect to see cars pimped out with bling or even neon lights in the race).

The car may not be wider than 5 feet or longer than 12 feet. It can’t weigh  more than 250 pounds (not including driver). Three wheels must be in contact with the pavement at all times.

Soapbox derby kit cars are not allowed, nor are skateboards or other similar vehicles.

All cars must have functional steering and brakes.

“No Fred Flintstone brakes are allowed,� Aakjar said.

Also, “All cars must be powered by gravity, which means no kinetics, no wind and no propulsion.�

And, the rules warn, “No dirty racing (smoke screens, oil slicks, spikes etc.) — you’re not James Bond!!!�

In other words, this will be an old-school soapbox derby, where craftsmanship is favored over technology, “Yankee ingenuity� is favored over Google technology — and even the first crash of the day gets an award.

“Bring your kids and your neighbors to the event of the summer and leave with the stories of a lifetime,� Aakjar said. “If you cracked a smile or let out a chuckle while imagining it then come and get a great big belly laugh as we bring imagination into reality and watch racers test their homemade machines against not only each other, but against the hill itself. It’s 1,800 feet of the most fun gravity can offer in an afternoon.�

The race will be held on roads near Veterans Field. For more information, call Aakjar at 860-364-5254.

Lakeville Journal

Latest News

Sharon voters split opioid settlement funds between ambulance, regional programs

Sharon voters split opioid settlement funds between ambulance, regional programs

Sharon voters approved splitting $24,000 in opioid settlement funds at an Aug. 27 town meeting.

Alec Linden

SHARON — Sharon voters unanimously approved splitting $24,000 in opioid settlement funds between the town’s ambulance service and a regional fund supporting addiction prevention, harm reduction and mental health services.

The decision Thursday, Aug. 27, came two months after voters rejected an earlier Board of Finance-backed proposal, 27-11, at a June 18 town meeting. Residents had expressed concern about directing all the money, which must be used for opioid remediation, to a regional organization rather than supporting the town’s emergency medical service.

Keep ReadingShow less
municipality

At Peggy Mercury, prep meets punk in ‘Imaginary Concerts’

At Peggy Mercury, prep meets punk in ‘Imaginary Concerts’
Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
Provided

Last month, James Boehmer and Greg Fricke of Peggy Mercury launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” wearable art sold exclusively at their store in the Kent Barns section of Kent, Connecticut.

The two fashion industry veterans opened Peggy Mercury more than two years ago, and a quick visit will tell you that people are finding what they’re looking for at the beauty and lifestyle store. But what they’re looking for is never standard.

Keep ReadingShow less
fashion

“Girlbomb” at 20

“Girlbomb” at 20
Photo by Jessica YurkoMillerton author Janice Erlbaum will celebrate the 20th anniversary of her memoir “Girlbomb” at Black Rabbit Dispensary on Sept. 5.
Photo by Jessica YurkoMillerton author Janice Erlbaum will celebrate the 20th anniversary of her memoir “Girlbomb” at Black Rabbit Dispensary on Sept. 5.
With memoir...the character only knows what the character knows.
—Janice Erlbaum

In “Girlbomb: A Halfway Homeless Memoir,” published in 2006, author Janice Erlbaum wrote about the years after she left her family’s Brooklyn apartment at 15, moving through shelters, group homes, squats, clubs and the streets of 1980s New York while somehow continuing to attend high school. The book has sold more than 75,000 copies, stayed in print for two decades and continues to find new readers.

Now Erlbaum, 57, lives in Millerton and on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m., she will celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Girlbomb” with a reading at Black Rabbit Dispensary. The event is open to the public and will be livestreamed on Instagram.

Keep ReadingShow less
our community
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Spencertown’s 21st Festival Of Books

Spencertown’s 21st Festival Of Books
Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, author of “Daylight Come: Harry Belafonte and the World He Made” is one of thefeatured authors at the Spencertown Academy Festival of Books on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Mirissa Neff

On Saturday, Sept. 5, the Spencertown Academy Arts Center in Spencertown, New York, will host its 21st annual Book Festival.

With over 20,000 gently used books, CDs, DVDs and vinyl donated by the community, it took volunteers 45 days — and an estimated 750 hours —to set the whole thing up. Most of that time was spent sorting through the vast troves of donations and organizing them by category.

Keep ReadingShow less
community

Paul Newman racing doc to screen in North Canaan on Sunday

Paul Newman racing doc to screen in North Canaan on Sunday
“Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman,”will be screened Sunday, Sept. 6, at the Colonial Theatre in North Canaan.
Provided

On Sunday, Sept. 6, Lime Rock Park will host a screening of the documentary “Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman” at the Colonial Theatre in North Canaan at 7 p.m.

Newman was one of the most celebrated actors of the 20th century, known for films including “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Hud” and “Cool Hand Luke.” His 1969 film “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” also began a decades-long friendship with co-star Robert Redford.

Keep ReadingShow less
film

Community to take center stage at Dive Barn

Community to take center stage at Dive Barn

A scene from last year’s Dance Barn.

Steven Tayler

On Sunday, Sept. 6, PS21 in Chatham, New York, will host a celebration of community through dance at its second annual Dive Barn performance at the organization’s Dance Barn.

Dive Barn is the brainchild of dancer, teacher and choreographer Sayer Mansfield, who has dedicated her life to contemporary and experimental dance. She studied in the Department of Dance at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and at the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance. She’s performed with companies including Pilobolus, Compagnie Marie Chouinardand Mark Morris Dance Group. Her work has been featured in films including “Little Women,” “Maestro” and “Sproutland.” She has served on the faculties of Jacob’s Pillow, Phillips Academy Andover, as well as Harvard and Yale Universities.

Keep ReadingShow less
dance
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.